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A rant, with useful information, about the ‘Web Environment Integrity’ proposal by Google"
(orowith2os.gitlab.io)
this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2023
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Technology
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I can block users I don't want visiting my site? I can't speak for every web developer, but I'm all in for this. Saves me time and money too. Hell yeah!
This virtue signalling of how "internet freedom" only applies to users is showing its consequences. Users don't want ads or trackers, that's fine. But you want all the things that are funded by it? You can keep using adblock, Online platforms may be soon able to block you too. No ads and trackers for you, No wasted resource for the website. Everyone is happy
Everyone in here/reddit is always whining about the old internet, but nobody ever takes time to do any thing to contribute to it.
And these strawman arguments are what people in a bubble make up to give themselves a pat in a back. You don't want to use it, then don't. let people who want to use it. Aren't you for "Internet freedom" or does that just apply to your contrived version of reality when you're the main character?
You want to block users from visiting your site, go for it. But you should quit "virtue signaling" yourself that people need to just volunteer their privacy for the internet to even exist. Tracking is only necessary for rich corporations to get get richer by brokering surveillance data, and all we really get in turn is an ad for diapers on a tech blog instead of what might have been flash storage or something. It's dumb.
You are literally on the direct counterexample to this. Lemmy is like the old Internet.
The problem with ads is not a few ads here and there, it's how it negatively impacts every interaction with those sites:
There was also a report recently that google also screwed their customers (those companies who pay for the ads) where google showed ads as in-stream ads in some auto-running videos in the background.
The whole industey is just broken. Present me with non-intrusive, static ads served from your own site and nobody bats an eye (also ad blockers are a non-issue then)
Block users all you want, but don't expect me to "attest my hardware and software" from a 3rd party. Let alone make this a standard and think about leaving the keys to parties which are probably "themselves" only.
How on earth the expectation can be giving authority to third parties to set my hardware and software to be validated so they attest to an arbitrary standard which I will never have control over?
See the current SSL certificate authorities mess. I have to pay to a third party to asure my clients that my server can securely communicate with them. Now they are doing this to clients with a more strict manner.
well, you certainly live up to your name
I contribute to my masto instance. I will contribute to my Lemmy instance. I contribute on occasion to individual creators (big help if I can use apple cash because most of my "throw away" money is in cash or apple cash).
You do what you want to do. I just went to Linux as my primary OS to further distance myself from the commercialization and inevitable enshitification of everything that I've watched take over for the past 30 years.
And you know what? You and your users are welcome to play in your enshitified capitalistic wasteland where the only content is some form of propaganda or engagement trap. I'm going to find a community of folks who just want to share. And I'm going to contribute my own money and knowledge because I'll know it's being used by individuals and not going to shareholders profits making rich folks richer. Enjoy what remains.
Fine. Good luck. I will just use a different site. I do agree though... the web needs a better way and that way should not be ads and tracking.
That way should not be intrusive ads, and it shouldn't be tracking without user consent.
On their own, exposed to the user in an easily understandable way and easily customizable, they're not bad. They can even help; used right, you can get advertisements relevant to you and your interests, and developers can know what to improve on.
The problem is when this is abused to hell and back by companies that want to strip you of every penny they possibly can, without giving you the choice.
Your opinion might not win any popularity contests here, but I'd have to agree that this is a natural consequence of the fact that people feel entitled to use online services for free, including not wanting to watch ads.
Voluntary donations generally just won't work well enough for it to be a viable option in many cases, so sites have more or less had to optimize content for ad generating ad views because that's usually the only way they can stay afloat.
Sure there's some sites that get by with donations, voluntary payments or merch sales or whatever, but they're the exception rather than the rule.
I find it ironic when people eg. complain about clickbait headlines and at the same time refuse to pay for news. This idea that we have to get everything for "free" online has directly led to the enshittification we all know and love
Note what I mentioned in the blog post: most will probably be fine with advertisements so long as they aren't annoying.
You don't get to act the victim when you actively hurt the UX by having avertisements that get all up in your face and want to eek out every single penny like we're slaves.
There are plenty of non-annoying ads around. When ABP (I think?) tried to introduce a non-annoying ad white list, people collectively shat a brick and decided ABP had "sold out", and not because the list was bad but because they don't want any ads at all, period.
And it's not like I love ads; I'd rather pay for services than have to see ads, but a lot of the time that's not an option. We wouldn't be in this mess if people were willing to either pay for services (which understandably is a problem for poorer people) or be subjected to even boring banners or video clips that don't cover content.
Said the person using an online platform for free, without ads
Almost like I said there are exceptions but they are exceptions rather than the norm. How about let's not get into the whole "aha gotcha" mentality and actually read what others are saying?
I guess I have to spell this out: services that run purely off voluntary payment / donation do exist and I'm using one right now, but good luck running a business or even making ends meet with that model. It's doable but rare and mostly non-profit.
And no I'm not saying a profit motive is necessary, but you can't expect people running internet services, or writing newspapers, or whatever, to do it for free and alongside their day job. Yes, again, some do, but it can be a ton of work and not everybody has the capacity for it, for one reason or another